Community Culinary School thrives in new space at Greylyn Business Park

04 December, 2015

After 17 years in South End, the Community Culinary School of Charlotte (CCSC) has moved across town and found a home in the southeast part of the city.

In February, executive director Ron Ahlert relocated the school, a nonprofit organization that provides workforce training and job placement for adults facing barriers to long-term employment, to Greylyn Business Park on Monroe Road.

The school had shared kitchen space with another non-profit for years. Now, it has its own large kitchen outfitted with new Electrolux appliances.

“The Monroe Road corridor and Greylyn Business Park have embraced us,” Ahlert said. “I thought we would have an issue getting students, but we’re having more students apply than we can handle.”

CCSC’s Class 52, which has 16 students, is set to graduate from the 14-week program in December. The Monroe Road location has allowed Ahlert to increase his class sizes and his staff from “one and a half” chefs to four full-time chefs. He also has added a full-time counselor and a café in the front of the space that’s open from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday.

“We’ve never had our own facility, and we’ve never been able to control our own daily destiny,” Ahlert said.